Negative Reviews: Should Businesses Fear Them or Not?
In today’s digital world, consumers can easily sing high praises to your business or vent their frustrations over your products or services online.
Near Perfect or Perfect Rating is “Too Good to Be True”
High praises or 5-star reviews are instinctively embraced by businesses. Negative reviews, on the other hand, are instinctively feared. But should bad reviews be avoided altogether?
A new study from Spiegel Research Center found that, across product categories, purchase likelihood usually peaks at review ratings in the 4.0 to 4.7 range and starts to dip as review ratings approach 5. Put it in another way, the new study suggested that products with an average rating in the 4.7 to 5.0 range are less likely to be sold than those in the 4.0 to 4.7 range. “This suggests that shoppers see ratings at the far end of the spectrum as ‘too good to be true,’” Spiegel Research Center said. “Readers are skeptical of reviews that are too positive and, in many cases, a negative online review is seen as more credible.” Another study from the Northwestern University arrived at the same conclusion as the Spiegel Research Center study that a near perfect or perfect rating is “too good to be true”. The Northwestern University research results showed that the probability of purchase increases with rating to about 4.2 to 4.5 stars and starts to drop as the star rating approaches a perfect 5. The two studies from Spiegel Research Center and Northwestern University showed that a small proportion of negative reviews can make a product or service more appealing to would-be consumers. The Inevitability of Negative Reviews
An earlier PowerReviews research found that 82% of buyers seek out negative reviews; and among buyers under 45-year-olds, this number jumps to 86%.
“Shoppers are smart: they know that every item can’t be the newest, fastest, cheapest and highest quality,” PowerReviews study said. “As a result, they question products that claim to be all of the above.” The PowerReviews study said negative reviews help businesses establish brand credibility and trust. Would-be buyers are skeptical about the lack of negative reviews, the study said. Google's retail industry director John McAteer told the Economist that a few bad reviews are worth having. “No one trusts all positive reviews,” he said. The Spiegel Research Center study, meanwhile, stressed that business should embrace negative reviews. Showing negative reviews on your site, Spiegel Research Center study said, helps build credibility with customers. “While it may seem counterintuitive, negative reviews can have a positive impact because they establish credibility and authenticity,” the researcher center said. The research center recommended that instead of trying to eliminate negative reviews, it’s important to monitor them and respond to them. Negative Reviews as Baseline for Worst-Case Scenario
According to PowerReviews, negative reviews offer a baseline for the worst-case scenario when buying a product or availing a service of a company. For instance, if the negative reviews center on the complicated way in which the product can be assembled and the other features of the product are given good reviews, a would-be buyer may proceed with the purchase if he or she doesn’t care about complicated assembly.
Other Factors that Affect Online Sales
In addition to the presence of negative reviews, the following factors affect online sales:
1. Price of the Product The Spiegel Research Center study showed that online reviews have a greater conversion rate for expensive products. The study showed that when reviews are displayed for a higher-priced product, the conversion rate increases by 380%. For lower-priced product, on the other hand, the conversion rate increases by 190%. 2. Degree of Risk Involved in the Purchase A product can be considered as “risky” based on its price. Aside from price, a product can be considered as risky based on its effects on health and safety. The Spiegel Research Center study showed that online reviews have a greater conversion impact for risky items. 3. Number of Reviews The Northwestern University study called “Too good to be true: the role of online reviews’ features in probability to buy” published in the International Journal of Advertising in June 2016 found that “although the majority of extant research suggests that larger numbers of reviews bring more positive outcomes, we show that it is not always the case.” “It’s easy to assume that having more and more reviews will continue to help drive sales,” said Spiegel Research Center in the study called “How Online Reviews Influence Sales” published on its site in June 2017. “Our research found that more reviews help, but only to a point – and that point is much lower than many might assume.” Spiegel Research Center’s June 2017 report showed that nearly all of the increase in purchase likelihood happens within the first 10 reviews, and the first five reviews propel the majority of this increase. 4. Number of Verified Reviewers According to PowerReviews, consumers take into consideration, not only the review but also the reviewer. “If the author of a negative review seems unlike the reader, the reader may discount the authenticity of the review for them personally,” PowerReviews said. This is evident in the way consumers view the reviews left by verified and non-verified reviewers. In the Spiegel Research Center, verified reviewer is defined as a consumer whose purchase can be confirmed online, while anonymous reviewer is defined as someone whose purchase can’t be confirmed. The Spiegel Research Center study showed that purchase likelihood rises by 15% when consumers read reviews written by verified buyers as opposed to anonymous reviewers. This shows that reviews written by people who have direct experience using a product or service are more trustworthy and credible, compared to anonymous reviewers who may be paid to write reviews or from those who have ulterior motives against the company. According to the research center, verified customers give an average 4.34-star rating, while anonymous reviewers give an average 3.89-star rating. This shows that having more reviews from verified customers can help boost the value of the reviews in a number of ways. Monitoring and responding to online reviews can is a time consuming and a tedious task. Connect with us today to learn how we can fully automate the process of getting verified customer reviews, monitor and respond to both negative and positive reviews to boost your brand, and increase sales.
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5 Avenues to Build Your Positive Online Presence and Reputation
Paid. Owned. Shared. Earned. These four media avenues are readily available if you want to build your positive online presence and positive online reputation.
Avenue #1: Paid Media
This type of media refers to advertising and sponsorships. Simply put, you pay for this type of media. It includes online video ads, ads served in search engine results, ads on social networks, ads on mobile devices and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.
Avenue #2: Owned Media
Owned media refers to your company’s websites, newsletters and blogs. There are two views on whether your company’s social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can be considered as your company’s owned media.
The first view holds that the content that you share on your company’s behalf across various social media sites is owned media. The second view holds that accounts on social media are “rented”, not owned. “Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are your landlords and you just lease the space,” said Mark Bonchek, in the article "Making Sense of Owned Media" published on the Harvard Business Review website. “But as your landlord, they can enter your apartment at will, renovate the building whenever they like ….” Avenue #3: Shared Media
Your company’s interaction with consumers on your company’s social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are part of “shared media”. Shared media also includes social media postings shared by your consumers.
Avenue #4: Earned Media
This type of media refers to “word-of-mouth” marketing and public relations. For this type of media, you convert your prospects and customers as your brand advocates and influencers. Paid, owned and shared media can inspire earned media.
Control Factor of Paid, Owned, Shared and Earned Media
Who controls the cost and content in these four media avenues?
In paid media, the advertising company that you choose sets the costs, while you control the content. In owned media, you’ve full control of the cost in getting your audience’s attention, and you’ve full control of the content. In shared media, your company has full control of the company’s social media accounts, but your company has no control over what other social media users say about your business. With shared media, you control the cost of your time you spent earning your audience’s attention. In earned media, your audience controls the content, while you control the cost of your time you spent earning your audience’s attention. Trust Factor of Paid, Owned, Shared and Earned Media
Nielsen’s 2015 Global Trust in Advertising survey found the following interesting consumers’ media habits:
“The power of digital ad formats cannot be underestimated, as they offer many advantages for achieving effective reach,” said Randall Beard, president of Nielsen Expanded Verticals. “But few brands have mastered online word-of-mouth marketing techniques, the results of which can go viral very quickly.” The Nielsen’s consumers’ media habits study was released in September 2015. Since then, the online landscape has changed a lot. The 2017 Edelman Global Trust Barometer gives new insights into consumers’ media habits. The new Edelman survey released in January 2017 offered the following interesting findings:
While owned media or business websites are more trusted than social media in the 2017 Edelman survey, this doesn’t mean that the public trusts business leaders more. The new Edelman survey revealed that a person like yourself, a technical expert and an academic expert tied as the most credible spokespersons, with 60% of the respondents trusting them. A company employee, meanwhile, is more trusted (48%) than the company CEO (37%). Another important insight in the 2017 Edelman survey is the finding that 62% of company's social media are more believable than its advertising (38%). Paid, owned, shared and earned media may have different approaches but they share the same purpose: to create awareness and engagement. A good mix of these four media avenues is important in getting the attention of your target audience and engaging them. Avenue #5: Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an Emerging Media Platform
In May 2017, Forrester released a report called “The End Of Advertising As We Know It”. The report found that people aren't engaging with ads, with 38% of US online adults have installed an ad blocker; 50% of US online adults actively avoiding ads on websites; and 47% of US online adults actively avoiding mobile in-app ads.
The Forrester report said that online ad interruptions only work because consumers conduct their searches using interruption-friendly devices like desktops and mobile phones. But once consumers use anti-interruption devices like voice interfaces or AI-driven background services, consumers will feel even more hostile to ad interruptions according to Forrester. The Forrester report said it isn’t hard to imagine a world in which intelligent personal assistants like Alexa would answer most of your questions you search on Google via your laptop or mobile phone today. James McQuivey, one of the authors of the Forrester report, said that today’s marketers can choose to invest in AI in order to build deeper relationships with their customers. “That intelligent conversational relationship with the customer can begin now in chatbots on websites, in chat interfaces on mobile apps, in Alexa voice skills,” McQuivey said. "The tech will make conversations more satisfying to customers, but it's just as important that marketers learn how to make those conversations sparkle with the brand personality the CMO [Chief Marketing Officer] has committed the company to." 
Search Engine Statistics Every Business Needs to Know
Through the years, the world wide web has accumulated billions of webpages that compelled search engines, not just to search webpages but to display search results according to importance. There are more than 1 billion websites on the world wide web today.
In 2014, the number of websites worldwide reached the 1 billion mark, with the inventor of the world wide web Tim Berners-Lee announcing the big milestone. Afterward, the number went back to below 1 billion as a result of inactive websites. The 1 billion mark was reached again in March of 2016. In the advent of the internet, anyone can add a document to the world wide web without telling anyone. A world wide web without search engines is similar to a library with billions of documents but without a librarian. To determine the importance of every webpages, every search engines has its own algorithm which includes a number of criteria. Algorithms’ criteria are safely guarded by companies like Google as they don’t want people to manipulate the search engine results. What is Search Engine
Search engine is a software program that search documents on the world wide web for specific keywords and returns a list of links or webpages where the keywords can be found. The search engine term is often associated with the top programs such as Google, Bing, Baidu, Yahoo, Ask and AOL.
Here are search engine statistics that every business needs to know: Search engine is the most trusted source for general news and information.
The 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that search engine is the go-to place for people when they search for general news and information. Search engine is the number one most trusted media platform with 64% of the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer survey respondents trusting it.
In the Edelman 2017 trust survey, traditional media is ranked as the second most trusted media platform, with 57% of the respondents trusting it. Online-only media is ranked third (51%); owned media is ranked fourth (41%), and social media is ranked as the fifth trusted form of media platform (41%). Owned media refers to company-ran media platforms such as the company’s website and blog, while social media refers to social networking websites or mobile applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Google is the undisputed leader of search engines.
Every second, Google processes an average of over 40,000 search queries according to Internet Live Stats. This translates to more than 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches each year worldwide.
Google is a search engine built in 1996 by two Ph.D. students at Stanford University Larry Page and Sergey Brin. When Google was launched in 1998, the search engine was only serving 10,000 search queries per day. In terms of global desktop search engine market share, Net Market Share reported that for the period of June 2016 to June 2017, Google’s market share was 76.13%, followed by Bing (8.51%), Baidu (7.41%), Yahoo (6.32%), Ask (0.20%), AOL (0.08%) and Excite (0.01%). In terms of global mobile/tablet search engine market share for the period of June 2016 to June 2017, Net Market Share reported that Google’s market share was 95.17%, followed by Yahoo (2.47%), Bing (1.04%), Baidu (0.46%), Ask (0.04%) and AOL (0.01%) More Mobile Searches than Desktop Searches
For the period of June 2016 to June 2017, according to StatCounter, 53.18% of searches came from mobile and tablet, while 46.81% searches came from desktops.
Google, for its part, announced in 2015 that “more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the US and Japan.” Part of the reason that Google controls mobile searches is that it’s the default search engine of major phones such as Apple phones. Consumer Search Behaviors
In 2014, Google commissioned research organizations Ipsos MediaCT and
Purchased® to understand consumers’ local search behavior. The Google-sponsored study found the following interesting insights: 1. When using search engines, people search with their location and proximity in mind.
2. Search engines influence searchers to take action.
In the case of car buyers, they spend up to 15 hours online researching, comparing and studying according to the 2013 Polk Automotive Buyer Influence Study commissioned by AutoTrader.com. Google’s internal data also showed that when people search online using their desktop for automobiles, they want to see visual presentations – pictures of their dream car. Google said nearly half of Google searches for cars contain images. SEO
SEO can either stand for search engine optimization or search engine optimizer – a person or organization in charge of optimizing a website for search engines. Building a good online reputation requires a good understanding of SEO, especially for Google. While Google doesn’t publicly reveal how it comes up with search results, the search engine giant has provided some guidelines for optimizing a website for search engines.
Google suggests that if you’re looking to hire an SEO to improve your brand reputation, make sure the SEO use “whitehat” techniques, instead of “blackhat” techniques. Google said it’s vital to know the difference between these two techniques as blackhat SEO will essentially ruin your website and reputation. Blackhat SEO is defined by Google as “Illicit techniques that manipulate search engines to try to rank a site higher are considered blackhat techniques that violate our Webmaster Guidelines.” An example of blackhat approach is buying or selling links. Instead of the blackhat approach, Google recommends for the “whitehat” approach – defined as “techniques aim to improve a site by focusing on the visitors instead of on ranking higher.” Examples of whitehat techniques include creating high-quality content. When choosing an expert SEO provider, always make sure that they don't employ black hat SEO techniques, and only help you achieve desired results and secure more business through high-quality content. Looking for an honest digital marketing agency? Connect with us today. 
7 Steps to Choosing the Right Online Reputation Management Company
Businesses survive and grow because of good reputation. In the past, reputation was spread through word of mouth or through traditional media like television and newspapers. In the advent of the internet, one’s business reputation comes down to search engines and social media results.
If your customer types your company’s name, what comes up in the first few pages of search engines like Google? Would the first few pages lead them to your company’s website or would they be exposed to sites that gave your company negative reviews or to your company’s past legal woes? What is Online Reputation Management
Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the practice of implementing online strategies that influence public perception of an individual or organization. Online campaigns are implemented by an online reputation management firm in order to increase the visibility of a business brand, while at the same time, making the negative publicity of the business brand less visible in search engines or social media results.
In the past decade, search engine and social media results have changed how people get and share information. According to StatCounter, from April 2016 to April 2017, Google controlled 92.31% of the search engine traffic, followed by Bing (2.74%) and Yahoo (2.41%). Based on Pew Research Center’s 2005-2015 Social Media Usage report, nearly two-thirds of American adults (65%) use social media sites – a nearly ten times jump in the past decade – affecting how people get and share information about health, civic life, news consumption and communities. Pew Research Center’s Social Media Update 2016, showed that 68% of all U.S. adults are Facebook users, while 28% use Instagram, 26% use Pinterest, 25% use LinkedIn and 21% use Twitter. Increasing the positive visibility of your business brand on Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter is a challenge. Wading through search engines and social media sites is a complicated and a time-consuming task. This gives rise to a number of firms offering online reputation management service. Here are 7 steps to choosing the right online reputation management company for your brand: 1. Conduct an Online Research about the Company Similar to what your audience and customers are doing when looking for information about your company, the task of choosing the right online reputation management firm for your brand also requires you to do the same: search online. What comes up when you search the online reputation management company’s name? Be wary of companies with negative search engine results. How can they help build your brand a positive online reputation if they can’t even help themselves? On the other hand, be equally wary with companies with glowing reviews as this could mean that they have spent a lot of time and money on this, but giving less attention to actually helping clients build a better online reputation. 2. Get to Know the People Behind the Company Knowing the people behind the management firm is essential. Who are the firm’s founders? Who are the current members of the management team? While an online search about the people behind the company helps, it’s important as well to directly contact the people who will be working on giving your brand a better online exposure. 3. Ask Them about Their Strategy Ask the management team how they will go about giving your brand a better visibility online. Ask them about their specific SEO strategies. SEO stands for search engine optimization. There are many legitimate SEO ways called “whitehat SEO” to optimize a brand for search engines. Some ORM companies are, however, employing deceptive techniques called “blackhat SEO” to try and trick search engines and users. “It’s important to distinguish between the two methods (whitehat SEO and blackhat SEO) since blackhat SEO actually damages your site and reputation, instead of improving its ranking in organic search results,” Google said in a statement. Google has issued its own guidelines for the search engine giant to find, index and rank your brand. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have also issued their own guidelines. It’s, therefore, important to stay away from companies that employ blackhat SEO, and to see to it that the management team working for your brand’s online reputation adheres to Google and other social media sites’ guidelines. 4. Ask for Case Studies One of the effective ways to see to it that the ORM team is the right fit for your brand is to look into their past and current clients. Conduct an online search on these supposed clients and see their past and current reputation in search engines and social media sites. 5. Ask for the Time-Frame The time-frame for improving an online reputation is different for every client. Consider it as red flags when an online reputation management firm promises quick suppression of negative search results or promises that it will work for your brand until such time that the negative results are suppressed. 6. Ask for Cost Similar to time-frame, the cost of improving an online reputation depends on a case by case basis. Consider it a red flag when an online reputation management firm won’t give you a rough estimate of the project cost. In the absence of an agreed price, the cost of your online reputation project may skyrocket without you knowing it, and this may cause further misunderstanding. After getting all the details about your online problems, the firm should be able to give you a rough estimate of the total cost. 7. Understand the Contract Before committing to a particular online reputation management firm, ask that a contract should be signed between you and the management firm. The contract should stipulate that the management firm should adhere to the guidelines set by search engines and social media organizations. The contract should also include the time-frame of the project, the total cost, and a non-disclosure clause. Equally important to be included in the contract is the provision that your company will have full access and ownership of all the websites and social media pages that will be created by the ORM firm. After all, it's your intellectual property. 
Dead Simple Ways To Protect Your Business Online Reputation in 2017How long would a business with a bad reputation last in your town? Not long, and it's no different online. Maintaining a good reputation in the digital world is essential to the success of your business. In fact, 86% of people will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative online reviews. A bad online reputation will lose you sales - it's as simple as that. Luckily, online reputation management isn't complicated. Follow the tips below and you'll be well on your way to building a great reputation for your business online. Let's do this. Google your business before starting online reputation managementGetting to know what's already out there is essential when managing your online reputation. Even if you haven't posted anything about your business online yet, doesn't mean nobody else has. You should look out for:
If you're lucky, you won't find anything negative. But if you do, there are plenty of ways to remedy the situation. These include:
You can't start to improve your reputation without seeing what's already out there, so don't let fear hold you back. Register domain namesYou might already have registered a domain name for your business. If so, that's great. However, it's also important to register similar domains, to prevent these being purchased and used to imitate your company. Having fake versions of your business operating online can be a huge reputation killer. You should consider purchasing:
There are often discounts available when purchasing domain names in bulk, so plan before you buy. Secure your business name on social mediaImagine if someone joined Twitter under your business name and started posting offensive messages. It would be a reputation nightmare. That's why it's so important to secure your business name as a username on as many social media platforms as you can - even if you don't plan to use them. Unused social media accounts should link back to your website or to social networks you're actually active on. You don't want customers to be left wondering how to get in touch with you. Social media is a huge part of online reputation management, particularly as it continues to grow in popularity. Don't make it easy for others to impersonate your business online. Write high-quality blog postsWriting blog posts is an excellent way to boost your reputation and show off your expertise. Writing posts for your own site will help drive traffic and gives you relevant content to share on social media. This helps you build a reputation as an expert in your industry. It's also beneficial to write for other sites, also known as 'guest posting'. Getting your business associated with sites that people already know and trust is worth a lot and can do wonders for your online reputation management. It's also a great way to generate backlinks to your site, which will help it to rank higher in search engines. Not sure how to write blog posts? Try the following ideas for inspiration:
Make sure all posts are relevant to your business and help to build the kind of reputation you want. The wrong blog post can seriously hurt your reputation online, so plan your content carefully. Encourage good reviews onlineIt's been shown that restaurants with good reviews online are more likely to be fully booked at peak times. And the concept is the same, no matter what kind of business you're running. Positive reviews reassure potential customers, while negative reviews put them off. If you've spotted some negative reviews online, here what to do: Respond onlineAcknowledge the problems highlighted in the review, and explain how you've solved them. Get in touch offlineTalking to a customer over the phone or in person is often easier than communicating online. Apologize for their bad experience and they may remove the review. Contact the review siteHave your suspicions that a negative review was left by a competitor, not a real customer? Some sites will work with you to remove fake reviews. Having no reviews can look almost as bad as having negative reviews. How many customers will want to risk venturing into the unknown? If you don't have any reviews online yet, try these strategies:
Reviews are a huge part of online reputation management. Don't sweep them under the rug. Be responsiveGot a tweet from a disappointed customer? Or noticed an angry comment on your business Facebook page? Don't ignore it. You wouldn't brush off an upset customer in the real world, and you shouldn't do it online either. By responding quickly, calmly and helpfully to all comments, positive or negative, you build up a reputation as professional and responsive. Customers won't be left frustrated by vague, canned replies, which makes them less likely to post negative things about your company online. Responding to positive comments is just as important as addressing complaints. Customers love getting friendly replies from brands on social media. In return, they're likely to become even bigger fans of your business, posting more positive messages that help build your reputation. You cannot afford to ignore your online reputation in 2017. Manage your reputation by keeping on top of what's out there, encouraging positive reviews, and being responsive on social media. What's the next action you'll take to protect your reputation online?
Should My Business Have Its Own Facebook Account?If you are an entrepreneur, you may be considering whether or not your business should set up its own social media accounts. If you are, we can't blame you! After all, Facebook had 1.86 billion active users at the end of 2016 — up from 1.59 billion users one year earlier. With that many users, it's tempting to create an account for your business. But should your business have its own Facebook account? Let's take a look at some things to consider as you come to that answer. Benefit to My BusinessArguably the most important consideration for your business is how having an account for your business will benefit you and your customers. While the number of Facebook users is staggering, it doesn't mean it is appropriate for your customer base. Consider the target market for your product or service. Is this demographic someone that has a personal account and uses it regularly? If not, creating a Facebook page may not accomplish what you want. After all, one of the main reasons you are considering creating an account is likely to reach people. If you aren't doing that, what are you doing it for? Take a realistic look at the brand you are developing. Ask yourself whether using Facebook falls in line with your brand image. Time to MonitorAnother important aspect of having a Facebook account for your business is the time it takes to monitor it. If your business' page takes off, are you prepared to react to it? This can be a time-consuming task and will take you or another employee away from other things. Do you have an employee that is well-versed in the trends of social media to monitor the page efficiently and effectively? Not every business owner does! For example, one of the ways a business account can be useful is through customer reviews and feedback. But if you can't allow time to review these and react to them, it may do you more harm than good. Incentives Through FacebookAccounts are free to set up, which is a nice way for online marketing on a budget. But it's free to the extent that Facebook doesn't cost you anything. As a business, you are still devoting manpower towards monitoring and upkeep of the page. One thing to consider to off-set some of these costs is how you can utilize your Facebook page to create incentives for your customers. Some businesses offer coupons for "liking" their page. Others offer certain discounts on different days of the week, which helps to build traffic on your page for consumers bargain shopping for your product or service. Should Your Business Create a Facebook Account?While at first glance, creating an account for your business seems like a no-brainer, there is a lot to consider. You need to evaluate how your account will benefit your business. Will it be something used by your customer base? Can it help broaden your product's target market? You also need to take into consideration the time commitment and need to be active on the page so that it is up-to-date. If you opt to create an account for your business, brainstorm ways to keep traffic flowing on your page. Incentives like weekly Facebook-only coupons or sweepstakes might be a way for you to do just that! A Facebook account can help your business in many different ways but considering these things on the front end will help you make your decision.
5 Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemAh, the social media scene. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest. It's a jungle out there for sure. A huge jungle. Social Media Mistake #1 Posting Whatever You WantSocial media is the digital representation of you. #2 Too Much Self-PromotionIt can be hard to not constantly post about your brand. You can't help it - you want your brand known and you want customers or an audience. #3 Posting Irrelevant ContentWhat do people like? Viral videos, cats, people doing dumb stuff, the list goes on. #4 Not Creating a Social Media Strategy
#5 Ignoring Your AudiencePart of social media is engagement. Engagement is a two-way street. Therefore, you should respond to your audience when they reach out to you. Whether it's a comment or a review, make sure to respond. This way, they know there's someone there behind the keyboard and that they're being listened to. Need Help?Social media can be a difficult thing to manage. As we've said - it's an art. It requires strategy. Sometimes it's best to leave it in the hands of professionals. If you are looking for an extra hand in your digital endeavors, contact us and let us help you improve your social media experience for your brand and your audience.
5 Local SEO Tips to Improve Your Business' RankingWith all the benefits of using SEO, it's no wonder companies are investing heavily in digital content. High search rankings lead to more inbound traffic, conversions, and increased business revenues. They also help build your brand. And while online reviews & content marketing win every time, search ranking is also boosted by things you can do locally with your web page and content. Keeping ahead of the game is an endless chore. It seems like once you have a digital marketing trick mastered the whole game changes. The LA Times explains: “Digital marketing is harder because you have to continually learn new tools and stay abreast of emerging trends, which feels like a never-ending uphill task" Is there a way small to medium business owners can even compete with the big guns? Something inexpensive, easy, and effective too? The answer is simple: Local SEO tips. Master our 5 local seo tips to improve your business' ranking and you'll be feeling the big dogs nipping at your heels in no time. Let's find out what they are: 1. ReviewsReviews influence page rank up to 10% and increase website visits 25%. Making sure you take care of reviews locally will boost you in the rankings. 2. Inbound Links Boost SEOThere's a lot Google won't tell you when it comes to increasing your rankings. Their algorithms are guarded like national security. One thing they are upfront about, though, is this: Inbound links will boost your site's SEO. Doesn't sound like a local SEO tip? The key to getting real inbound links is creating content people want to link to and share. 3. Write Great ContentContent creates clicks and shares. Producing content is one of the best local SEO tips. The more content, the better. Why? Give Your Customers What They Want 70% of people say they’d rather learn about products through content rather than through traditional advertisements. As long as it's relevant. 4. Trending Now: Ever Changing Local SEO TipsSearching for topics to write about? Study the trends. Google, Facebook, and a number of other tools allow you to study online trends. What's happening right now? If you have something pertinent to say about the newest trend, get on it. These clicks mean boosting your rankings. As long as it is relevant. Take it from The New York Times: Though traditional print journalists might roll their eyes at picking topics based on Google searches, the articles can actually be useful for readers. "The problem, analysts say, is when Web sites publish articles just to get clicks, without offering any real payoff for readers." 5. KeywordsThe same goes for keywords. Whether you're following a trend or talking about the goods and services, your keywords need to point to content that is relevant. Putting It All TogetherYou focus on the goods and services your clients need. We can focus on the rest. Did you know clients love Reputation Mart? The reasons why are simple. We help businesses succeed. We don't just protect your reputation. We enhance it. Want your brand name across all online communities? Looking to see your product or service above all in Google search results?
5 Social Media Trends You Should Be FollowingDid you know that over 30% of all Internet use is dedicated to social media? What about that over 50% of Internet users have taken an action to learn more about a brand after seeing it mentioned on Twitter? It's clear that staying on top of social media accounts is important, but if you don't know the latest social media trends, you're going to get left behind. Here are 5 you can't miss. 1. Use Live VideoWhether it's YouTube or Facebook, live video on social media is at the top of the list of trends you need to be following. First of all, it promotes transparency. Plus, it's a chance for users to get to know your company better. They can comment on the videos as they're watching them! Live Video is essentially the new form of TV advertising. Take viewers on a virtual tour of your office, introduce them to your employees, and explain to them the features of a new product in real time - then release it for sale directly after the video. 2. Let Followers Make Purchases On Social MediaThis is one of the most important social media trends for your business! Sure, you want your social media accounts to drive traffic to your website - but sales and conversions are usually your number one priority! Save your customers time and corner the market on impulse buys and instant gratification (that's what the Internet is famous for!) by letting them make purchases on Twitter and Pinterest. They're a lot more likely to buy when they can do it in a few short clicks, without getting off social media! 3. Make Messenger A Part Of Your Customer ServiceThe reality of today's world? Your customers - current and future - are going to message your "brand" on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. They're going to use these messaging systems to ask you questions about products, offer you feedback, and inquire about their orders. If you leave them unanswered, customers will be angry. Set up automated responses on messaging systems, and always make sure you're combing through and responding to your customers! 4. Get Ready For Virtual RealityThis year, this social media trend is going to explode. Use Virtual Reality in your social media marketing plan to give users a unique experience that totally puts them in your world! You can make virtual reality videos and upload them to your social media platforms - everyone loves to share them! Also, consider developing a virtual reality app for your company that lets you make in-app purchases. 5. Use Influencer MarketingInfluencer marketing has been one of the most popular social media trends in recent months. An influencer is someone in your industry with a huge social media following. They could be a blogger, and Instagrammer, or a Twitter user. Approach them about working out a deal to promote your products. That way, you'll connect with a market that's already interested in what you're selling. You'll also come across as an authority in your industry - people trust this influencer, and this influencer trusts you, so their followers will...you guessed it! Trust your brand. Put These 5 Social Media Trends To Work!Now that you know the most popular social media trends of the moment, it's time to implement them! If you're ready to work with the best professionals in the social media industry, get in touch with us. Let's make this the year your brand gets its highest number of followers ever.
Why It's Important to Monitor Your Business' Internet Reputation68% of shoppers agree that they read and value the information fellow consumers post online. Translation? What people are saying about you online - AKA your brand's internet reputation - is important. In fact, over 25% of your brand's total market value is determined exclusively by its reputation. In this post, we're going to talk about why you need to take your internet reputation seriously - and why looking into reputation management services is a smart idea. 1. You'll Learn A LotWe know - nobody likes to get a bad review. However, even negative comments on review sites or your blog can help you to improve your business. But if you don't read them, or even know they're out there, you wouldn't know what to improve. Plus, if an unsatisfied customer's comment lingers unanswered for long, that's not going to say anything good about the way your brand handles customer service. Of course, knowing what people are saying about you also helps you to know what's working, and what people love, about your products and services! That way, you'll know what your customers want more of, and you can even ask for their feedback and ideas directly. This makes customers feel valued, and it's a great way to develop your next steps! 2. You Can Make Sure Your Employees Are Representing You WellOf course, internet reputation management isn't exclusive to your company itself - it also extends to your employees' social media accounts. If your employees are trashing your brand or company online, that's certainly something you need to know about. You also need to know if they're promoting your products and services, or if their general "vibe" on social media is in line with corporate policies and culture. 3. You Can Handle Any Negative Press Before It Gets Out Of ControlLet's get real: we've all seen the kind of dog-piling that can happen online to both brands and individuals who have sent out a poorly-timed or insensitive Tweet or status. It only takes one stupid, throwaway comment to drag down your entire brand. If you've posted something you shouldn't have, or if hackers have gotten a hold of your account and done the same, how soon you take control of the situation matters. A reputation management service can help you to craft an apology that's sincere, and explain to followers how you'll make sure a similar situation doesn't happen again. They can also help to approve future postings, so you don't get yourself or your brand in hot water again! Let's face it: some of us are more in touch with what is "ok" to say and what's not than others. Don't let a careless but honest mistake ruin your business - have a professional take a look. Ready To Manage Your Brand's Internet Reputation?Now that we've outlined why your reputation is so important, we know you're ready to make sure your customers only see great things when they search for your brand online. Stop losing sleep over bad reviews or a careless social media posts. Instead, get proactive by managing your brand's internet reputation today. We're here to help. Get in touch with us to learn more about our online reputation management services.
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